Angling: ‘Weighell of time’ had by Swale specialist

Stuart Tate cradles a barbel weighing in at 9-12 he caught on the bungalows section of the River Swale.

The Swale Preservation’s latest event, held on the supposed better sections of the middle river, had most of the competitors and organisers wondering what went wrong.

With sections donated free of charge by controlling clubs and percentages of entry money going towards restocking, the match is regarded as one ‘not to miss’ and a favourite of those looking to fish traditional methods and baits in clear-running water while helping fund the future upkeep of the river.

Venue expert, Kev Weighell, was one of a very few to come away happy, as the five chub caught from his draw at Maunby’s Rush Farm gave him the winner’s purse with 19-09 and the only double-figure weight of the day.

Most of the other anglers didn’t register a single fish or bite and once-prolific sections such as Asenby, on the downstream reaches, had to draw out of a hat to provide a winner with no fish caught.

After last year’s Topcliffe seal saga, the Environment Agency refused to restock to replace losses to the seal’s lunches, and told officials of Leeds DASA that recent surveys on all sections of the Swale showed healthy stocks and natural recruitment to be good. I would suggest they need to re-evaluate, as the club’s match returns – and my own records – show the river, over the past year, to be on the same slippery slope as the upper Aire, Ure and Wharfe.

Following the trends of upper rivers being near devoid, middle sections mostly poor but capable of red-letter days and lower reaches and tidal all holding the vast majority of Yorkshire rivers’ fish stocks, last week’s match results seemed to back-up this theory.

Peg 219, on the hot bungalows section, just keeps winning and shows fish are willing to feed when in numbers and feel safe.

John Cryowski started a brilliant weekend double drawing the peg on Saturday to win with over 26lb of pole-and-worm-caught perch.

Barnsley star, Keith Hobson, won from the same 219 on the Sunday with 23lb and Mirfield’s top man, Martin Highe, won the following match from that same peg with 30 perch for 20lb and the best specimen going 2-12. Stuart Tate, of Helperby, pushed Highe close with a catch probably never achieved before from nearby bungalow peg 224.

Starting on a 6m bolo rod and pushing a 5g float through to catch the low flow, he battled and beat a stunning 9-12 barbel on a fragile 20 hook and single maggot. After the long fight, he cast a small feeder past his float line and was rewarded with another of the same species, pushing 8lb to give him runners up spot.

Cryowski completed his weekend double by winning the York Open at Fulford with 13 skimmers for 11-08.

The lower Aire, just above the tidal reaches at Chapel Haddlesey, has ‘exploded’ with fish and both pleasure and match catches are as good as they get.

Leeds club, Glen AC, made the most of the shoals with a midweek match that gave Dave Armitage a win with over 17lb of small whip-caught roach but, more significantly, everyone else registered double figures.

Results

Swale Preservation Society Maunby/ Gatenby: 1, K Weighell 19-09; 2, S Newns 9-03; 3, M Chapman 9-03.

Leeds Saturday Series Hunters & Linton: 1, J Cryowski 29-10; 2, I Bowman 9-07; 3, J Carter 6-02; 4, D Armitage 3-12; 5, R Bonas 2-04.

Leeds DASA Linton on Ouse: 1, Keith Hobson 23-09; 2, Craig Turbitt 6-12; 3, Ian Daley 6-07; 4, Ian Bates 5-14; 5, Keith Mitchell 5-10.

Leeds Saturday Series Hunters/Linton: 1, M Highe Mirfield 20-00; 2, S Tate Helperby 18-10; 3, I Bowman Barnsley 7-13; 4, P Barron Tackle 2 U 5-11.

York & District Ouse at Fulford: 1, G Shepardson 8-00; 2, R Gaunt 7-15; 3, P Austin 7-06; 4, S Haigh 7-02; 5, P Potter 6-05.

Bradford No1 Raskelf: 1, J Vickerman 31-14; 2, F Prudham 25-12; 3, S Freer 19-08; 4, D Moska 18-02; 5, H Foster 13-01.

Oaks Silverfish Only Final Round: 1, A Barker 48-13; 2, T Stevenson 42-03; 3, P Trattles 41-08. Final League: 1, M Calvert 5pts ; 2, K Heptonstall 7pts; 3, R Bennett 7pts.

Moor Monkton Pools, Sunday Winter League, All pools: 1, Dave Wright 59-09; 2, Chris Watson 39-01; 3, Gordon Brown 37-09; 4, Adam Jackson 34-14

Moor Monkton Pools, Wednesday Rover, All Pools: 1, Geoff Rhodes 45-11; 2, Dave Wright 44-13; 3, Roy Worsnop 35-01; 4, Matt Gallagher 32-05.

Moor Monkton Pools, Sunday Winter League, All pools: 1, Andy Middleton 47-13; 2, Andy Quarmby 35-13; 3, Tom Bainbridge 34-09; 4, Lee Smith 32-13.

Moor Monkton Pools, Wednesday Rover, All pools: 1,Andy Hornsby 36-13; 2, Tom Bainbridge 36-00; 3, Roy Worsnop 29-09; 4, Steve Holmes 27-02.

Kippax Park Fishery, Tuesday Open, Lapwing/Osprey: 1, Luca Willshaw 80-01; 2, Dave Wright 69-05; 3, Mervin Gilbertson 49-13; 4, Richard Thomas 42-06.

Kippax Park Fishery, Saturday Open, Lapwing/Osprey: 1, Paul Cromie 78-12; 2, Paul Carter 50-04; 3, Steve Raper 39-13; 4, Mark Rockingham 39-10.

Kippax Park Fishery, Tuesday Open, Lapwing/Osprey: 1, Paul Carter 112-05; 2, Johnny Wake 51-05; 3, Phil Robinson 40-12; 4, Paul Cromie 40-06.

Kippax Park Fishery, Saturday Open, Lapwing/Osprey: 1 ,Tony Hewson 62-08; 2, Dave Wright 49-12; 3, Dave Cockrill 45-10; 4, Steve Holmes 45-01.

Viking Saturday Open (Hawk): 1, A Blyth 57-08; 2, D Shaw 43-01; 3, J Danby 41-01; 4, S Gibbins 39-11.

Fryston AC (Viking Fox): 1, R Copley 28-14; 2, P Moran 24-10; 3, S Lupton 22-09.

Spring Close Old Boys (Viking Hawk): 1, P Foster 64-08; 2, T McGurk 34-05; 3, V Rooks 28-13.

Mighty Anglers (Viking Deer): 1, B Smith 58-08; 2, A Brunton 33-03; 3, M Smith 24-04.

Angel Lakes, Sunday Lookout: 1, Dave Pearson 106-02; 2, Ethan Bradley 105-04; 3, John Dryden 95-10.

Match Diary

Saturday

Kippax Park: Saturday Open, Lapwing or Osprey, contact 07967000746.

Poppleton Saturday Open: pools £15, draw cafe 10am, contact Roger 01904737279.

Birkwood Farm Fisheries: Emily’s or Oscar’s, draw 8.30am, contact 01924 892251.

Woodlands: 72 pegs, tickets £18, contact 01845 520110.

Oaks: at Sessay, 50 pegs, tickets £17, contact 01845 501321.

Langwith Lakes: 60 pegs, tickets £16, contact 01904 431874.

Moorfields Farm: 54 pegs, tickets £16, contact 07710817150.

Fleets Dam: 50 pegs, tickets £15, contact 01226 292579.

Birkwood Farm: 60 pegs, tickets £16, contact 01132 80609.

Viking: Saturday Open, Hawk Pond, 30 pegs, £18, contact 01405 785206.

Tollerton Ponds: open match all ages, (Kingfisher 20 pegs, Coot 18 pegs, Heron 32 pegs), contact 01347 838115.

Kippax Park: winter series, Osprey Lake only, contact Stan 0796700046.

Sunday

Leeds & Liverpool: Kirkstall, contact Roger Movley 01132 772215.

Listerhills: Leeds & Liverpool Canal, contact Eddie Harrison 07518721051.

Woodlands: 72 pegs, tickets £18, contact 01845 520110.

Oaks: at Sessay, 50 pegs, tickets £17, contact 01845 501321.

Langwith Lakes: 60 pegs, tickets £16, contact 01904 431874.

Oak Tree Leisure: 50 pegs, tickets £15, contact 01347 810686.

Poppleton: Sunday Open, 50 pegs, draw 11am Cafe, contact 07425 146677.

Monday

Woodlands: over-50s, 30 pegs, tickets £15, contact 01845 520110.

Langwith Lakes: over-60s, 30 pegs, tickets £10, contact 01904 431874.

Tollerton Ponds: over-50s, tickets £16, contact 01347 838115.

Tuesday

Kippax Park: over-50s, draw 10am, tickets £10, contact 07967000746.

Wednesday

Leeds & District: Moor Monkton Pools, draw 10am, contact 07967000746.

Birkwood Farm Fisheries: Emily’s or Oscar’s, draw 8.30am, contact 01924 892251.

Woodlands: 72 pegs, tickets £18, contact 01845 520110.

Fleets Dam: 50 pegs, tickets £15, contact 01226 292579.

Tollerton Ponds: open match, all ages, contact 01347 838115.

Thursday

Poppleton Lakes: Thursday, draw 5pm, pools £11, contact Roger 01904 737279.